The present invention relates to handlebars for vehicles and has been developed with particular attention to its possible application to handlebars for cycles such as, for example, sports bicycles.
The present invention relates specifically to handlebars with formations for supporting the elbows of the person steering the vehicle, typically a cycle, to which the handlebar is fitted
In this connection, U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,525 assigned to the same assignee of the present application may be mentioned by way of reference. This prior patent describes a handlebar for cycles, particularly bicycles for triathlons and time trials, including a cross member, the centre of which can be connected to a steering column, and which has two side extensions extending forwardly and converging inwardly of the handlebar. Two further extensions project upwardly from the side extensions and are connected by a further transverse element.
The handlebar described in this prior patent therefore preferably has a generally annular configuration and thus allows for at least four different gripping positions. In particular, at least in some particularly far forward gripping positions, the cyclist's elbows in practice rest on the handlebar which has suitable formations for this purpose, constituted, for example, by small pieces of soft material (cloth, artificial leather) or shaped elements, for example, of plastics material, of a generally cup-shaped configuration, in which the athlete can rest his elbows
With these handlebars, which are intended preferably for sports use, (competitive or non-competitive) it is found, in use, that the arrangement in which the elbows are supported inwardly of the handlebar may not be agreeable or advantageous, both because the elbows are brought too close together (which is not usually agreeable for an athlete who is exerting himself) and because, if his elbows are moved generally beyond the main cross member of the handlebar, the cyclist's body may be projected too far forwards.